Several years ago I told my husband that I wanted to learn how to sew. So low and behold he bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. This meant two things: a) he actually does listen when I tell him things, and b) I had to follow through and give myself sewing lessons. Sewing can be tricky and all this time later I would still consider myself an amateur seamstress. So when I sew I tend to stick with things that are simple and don’t require perfection. The main reason I wanted to learn to sew was to make quilts, which can be pretty time consuming with all of their pieces. Recently I had to put together a raffle basket for my daughter’s soccer team fundraiser. Since I love the idea of giving handmade items, I decided to make an easy quilt to add to it. This quilt only takes three pieces to put together, can be put to use outside (like on a soccer field), and is practical for families on the go.
3pc Easy Quilt Instructions
What you need:
- 2 yards of 36”w flannel in a print of your choice.
- 2 1/4 yards of denim, canvas, or heavier 44”w fabric
- 1 bag of medium sized quilt batting.
- Thread
- Safety pins or sewing pins
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
Step 1:
Layer your pieces. You can wash and iron your fabric before you lay the pieces out, but because I tend to cut corners, I didn’t. I also didn’t trim any edges because I knew they would get either folded or covered.
Lay down your denim/heavier fabric first, right side against the floor. Make sure your heavier fabric has an approximately 3” edge larger than your batting and flannel. The extra width will be your binding. I left a 3.5” edge because I wanted wider binding.
Next, place your batting on top of the heavy fabric. Lastly, lay your flannel fabric right side up as the top layer.
Step 2:
Safety pin your layers together. You can use regular sewing pins for this but I prefer safety pins, especially when I have little people around (isn’t my tiny helper the cutest?).
Start in the middle of the quilt and work your way out, spacing your pins 12”-18” apart, until you have reached all edges and have your layers securely pinned together.
Step 3:
Measure your quilt and mark it off in quadrants. These measurements are used as a guide when tying or sewing your quilt layers together.
I started by marking the middle and then each half into thirds. Your measurements will depend on how spaced out you want your ties or seams. My marks were approximately 9.5” down the sides. However, because I purchased a flannel remnant that wasn’t quite the two yards recommended, your measurements will likely be different.
Step 4:
Tie or sew your layers together. Because I don’t like trying to wrestle my quilt through my machine and I struggle to get straight lines, I decided to tie this particular one. I also like the classic look of tying and since I was giving it away, wanted it to look its best.
I used a sharp ended large needle (I think it was a needle point needle), to thread my yarn through my quilt layers. Once through I tied a knot, then cut the ends to my desired length, about 3/4” long.
NOTE: If you are sewing your layers together be sure to start near the edge of your heavy fabric. That way the start of your seams will be folded into your binding and hidden from view.
Step 5:
Fold and pin your binding. The binding for this simple quilt will be the extra edging of your heavy fabric. After your layers are securely tied or sewn together, it’s time to finish the binding.
I did two folds, the first I lined up to meet the edge of my other two layers, and the second fold to came over the layers (see pictures). I then pinned the binding.
For this style of binding I simply squared off the corners. Sorry I don’t have a picture of me doing that, but the end corner should look like above.
You can also finish off the corners further by sewing a square seam on each of them.
Step 6:
Sew your binding. I did two seams to finish my binding. Seam one is to secure the binding to the layers. Seam two is optional and simply to give it a more finished look. I chose white thread, but you can also use a color that matches your fabric to hide any imperfect lines.
Adding a Velcro Strap (optional)
Step 7:
Measure, cut, and fold your strap. I measured and cut a piece of 8”x 24” fabric that was left over from my heavy fabric.
I first folded the sides in to meet each other. Then I folded the ends in before the last fold lengthwise in half (see pictures). I pinned all the edges together before sewing.
Step 8:
Sew strap edges and add Velcro. I sewed a seam all the way around the strap to secure it together. Then, I added a piece of Velcro to each end.
Step 9:
Attach the strap to your quilt. I pinned the strap to the back of my quilt right on top of seam one on my binding.
I did a quick stitch to attach it and done!
Folding and Fastening
To get this easy quilt in travel mode fold in in thirds lengthwise.
Then, simply roll it up from the opposite end as your strap. Once rolled, fasten your strap around the quilt and you are ready to go.
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